Just the other day, on the golf course of all places, I was having a conversation with a gentlemen about how the entertainment business can do battle with illegal downloads. He told me that the story of someone in another country that wasn't only illegally downloading music, but he was burning the music on to discs and then selling them to street vendors, who in turn sold the bootlegged discs to the public. My solution for this problem is for the industry to price downloads low enough to make the legal purchase more convenient and appealing than going the illegal route or perhaps packaging the album with some sort of bonus material you simply can't get for free on the web.
At least one band is taking a proactive approach to such matters. Time To Die, the third and latest album by San Franciso-based indie folkies the Dodos, leaked onto the Internet earlier this month. Rather than sit and whine about it or launch a legal assault on its fans, the trio set up TimeToDie.net, a site where fans can stream the entire album free of charge. It also pushed up the digital release of the album to today (July 28) via Amazon, where it's offering the album at the steal of a price of $2.99. The album will by released by other digital retailers next week, but those fans of physical albums will have to wait until Sept. 15 to hold Time To Die in their hot hands. (For those that do want the physical release and a special bonus, head over to Insound where you can preorder the dics and receive a free 11 x 17-inch poster.) You can get a free taste of the album track "Fables," which you can stream or download courtesy of the fine folks at RCRD LBL, below.
While the Dodos' plan to battle leakers is interesting, it wouldn't matter diddly squat if their music wasn't worthy of such attention. I suggest you visit TimeToDie.net and give the album a listen and if you like what you hear, support the band by coughing up $2.99 to download the album legally via Amazon.
The Dodos are yet another band you've probably heard, but didn't know it. While the leakers are cutting into their CDs, the Dodos have found another way to make money with their music. "Fools," a track from the band's second album, 2008's Visiter, is featured in a beer commercial that you can view here and an arty skateboarding video below. You can also check out the official clip below.
Just in case you're wondering, the Dodos can also bring it live. For Time To Die, singer/guitarist Meric Long and percussionist Logan Kroeber added 21-year-old vibraphonist Keaton Snyder to the fold. Check out this fan-shot clip of the trio performing "Paint The Rust" recorded earlier this month at the Melt! festival 2009 in Gräfenhainichen, Germany.